Food Tv for 2011

The world of culinary-based entertainment is flipping, dicing and sou-viding its way into mainstream cable. Your 2011 TV Guide is chock-full of food programming - and it's not just The Food Network or The Cooking Channel. Fox, ABC and NBC all have tasty televised treats in the can or in the works for your viewing pleasure.

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Family Owned

ABC joins the ranks with a sitcom about life on the streets...in a food truck. Yes, the fad has finally made its way to prime time. The tentatively titled "Family Owned" is in development. It is slated to star comedian Al Madrigal. The story will concentrate on a multigenerational, family-owned food truck business. Plot prediction: the young and modern Madrigal character will try to implement some sort of fusion food (cough-korean tacos-cough) into the menu only to find that the traditional, passed-down-through-the-family menu works best. We are willing to put $5 on that prediction.

Bob's Burgers

Food is getting animated. Fox will be premiering Bob's Burgers, a cartoon from the minds of Loren Bouchard, who brought squiggle-vision hits like Dr. Katz and Home Movies to the small screen, and Jim Dauterive of King of the Hill fame comes a story about Bob Belcher (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin, known for Dr. Katz and Archer), owner of a struggling, family-run burger joint. A gang of misfits (the family) serves as the center of attention with supporting players like the staff of the neighboring funeral home/crematorium and the competition: Jimmy Pesto's Pizzeria. So far, despite its animated nature, Bob's Burgers seems to be dealing with a more sane reality than Cake Boss.

America's Next Great Restaurant

Speaking of reality, NBC will be kicking off their mid-season schedule revamp in March with America's Next Great Restaurant, a reality show hosted by Southwestern Iron Chef, Bobby Flay. Aspiring restaurant owners will compete in challenges to prove that their eatery plan is the best. The winner will have his or her restaurant financed and opened. Flay will serve as mentor, judge and investor in the winning restaurant. Other investor/judges include Curtis Stone (chef for "The Biggest Loser"), Steve Ellis (founder of Mexican-ish chain, Chipotle) and Lorena Garcia (lawyer-turned-chef who has made her name combating childhood obesity). But the show's greatest assets are its producers: Dan Cutforth and Jane Lipsitz of the hit shows Project Runway and Top Chef. Think of it as a season long "restaurant wars."

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